Six months after barely closing a $712 million deficit, Chicago Public Schools officials have spent nearly $10 million that has not yet been budgeted in their aggressive push to lengthen the school day.

Those who hold leadership roles within our schools must come to terms with the fact that standards, curriculum, instruction, assessments and accountability will only get you so far in improving student achievement.

Over the past decade, the student population that attends Lawrence (Ind.) Township Schools has changed rapidly. In 2000, white students represented 64 percent of the enrollment. Today, the district is 42 percent white, 38 percent black and 11 percent Hispanic.